Convertible furniture



Jan. 24, 1939. A.VR. PALADINO 2,144,929

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 19, 1937 Q xx;

i *q w INVEIYTOR.

4/1 5540 A, 844 AD A O ATTORNEYS Jan. 24, 1939. A R O 2,144,929

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed Feb. 19

INVENT OR.

fl/va-zzo P, Ramp/W0 BY ATTORNEYS Jan. 24, 1939. A. R. PALADINOCONVERTIBLE FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 19, 1957- 2/4/ N SN QMk\ MM \Q WQ LN 4 y Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES CONVERTIBLEFURNITURE Angelo R. Paladino, Elmont, N. Y., assignor to EnglanderSpring Bed 00. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication February 19, 1937, Serial No. 126,602

2 Claims.

This invention has to do with convertible furniture and is directed tocertain improvements in trundle units adapted to be combined with achair, sofa, love seat, couch or other equivalent types of furniturehaving a seat structure so as to provide means for converting the sameinto a bed.

Broadly the invention resides in a foldable and collapsible trundle unitwhich is adapted, when folded and collapsed, to be housed and concealedbeneath the seat structure and to be withdrawn therefrom and unfoldedand extended for disposition in contiguous relation to the seatstructure so as to provide, together therewith, a bed of appropriatelength to accommodate adults reclining partially upon the seat structureand partially upon the trundle unit.

The invention further comprehends a trundle unit including a bed springframe so constructed and arranged as to be capable of being increasedand reduced in length, a support therefor which is so constructed andarranged as to be vertically extensible and contractible, and means soconstructed and arranged as to automatically lock the support invertically extended position when the frame is adjusted to its increasedlength and to automatically release when the frame is adjusted toreduced length.

The invention more particularly contemplates an improved trundle unitwhich embodies a bed frame composed of a pair of hingedly connectedsections adapted to be swung from an opened active aligned position inthe same plane, to an inactive parallel folded relation so as to reducethe length thereof to a size commensurate with an area of the spacebeneath the seat structure, and a vertically extensible and collapsiblecross leg support for one section thereof with past center locking linkmeans operable to automatically lock said support in vertically extendedposition when the frame sections are unfolded or open to active alignedposition and which link means are operable to automatically release andeffect the vertical collapsing of the support so as to reduce the heightof the trundle unit commensurate with the height of the space beneaththe seat structure for accommodation thereby.

As a further feature of the trundle unit, the remaining frame sectionthereof is provided at its outer free end with a legged head memberpivoted to the free end thereof so as to fold into a plane substantiallyparallel therewith from its active position in a plane perpendicularthereto, together with a connection between the first mentioned framesection and the head member for automatically effecting relativemovement between the head member and the said remaining section as thelatter section is moved to folded and unfolded positions.

With the above enumerated objects and features in view, the invention isset forth in greater detail in the following specification, is particu--larly pointed. out in the appended claims and is disclosed in theaccompanying drawings which portray one embodiment as illustrative of apractical form which is not intended as a limitation upon the scope ofthe invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of a love seat provided with a trundleunit constructed in ac- 15 cordance with the invention illustrating saidunit in active position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the trundle 20 unit in foldedinactive position nested and concealed beneath the seat structure.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the trundle unit in activeunfolded position taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional View takenapproximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 with the fabric spring structureomitted.

Fig. 6 is a similar enlarged longitudinal sec- 30 tional view showingthe trundle unit in folded inactive position nested beneath the seatstructure.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view on an enlarged scale showingthe elements of the trundle unit adjacent the connection between 5 themain and auxiliary sections thereof.

In the present disclosure, the invention; is shown as applied to a loveseat, although, obviously, the same is applicable to an equivalentarticle of furniture, such as a sofa, chair or 40 couch, the onlydifference being in the width of the trundle unit to correspond with thearticle of furniture to which it is applied.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, A designatesgenerally an article of 5 furniture constituting a seat structure havinga resilient horizontally disposed cushion support Ill, a back rest IIand arms l2 carried by a depending frame structure 13 which is open atthe front and defines beneath the cushion 50 support ID a space M foraccommodating and housing a foldable and collapsible trundle unit,designated generally by the reference character B.

The trundle'unit B includes a bed spring frame composed of a mainsection l5 and an auxiliary section IS. The main section comprisesspaced parallel side rails I! of angle iron with the horizontal flangesthereof disposed upwardly and the vertical flanges outwardly, whichrails are connected by transverse drop frame members l8. The auxiliarysection 16 includes side rails IQ of angle iron with the flanges thereofsimilarly disposed and with the upper flange of each side rail swingablyconnected by hinges 20 to the upper flanges of the side rails I! of themain section l5 so that the auxiliary section may be folded from anopened active aligned position in the same plane with the main section,as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to an inactive parallel relation, as shown inFigs. 3 and 6, so as to reduce the length of the spring frame to a sizecommensurate with the area of the space 14, the outer free ends of theside rails IQ of the auxiliary section It being connected by atransverse angle iron member 2|.

A fabric spring 22 is connected with and stretched between the angleiron member 2| and the transverse strap 22A and connected with andstretched between the side rails I1 and IQ of the frame sections, saidspring being adapted to fold and unfold with the frame sections. Avertically extensible and collapsible crossed leg support is associatedwith the main bed spring frame section l5 and consists of a pair ofcrossed legs 23 and 24 pivotally connected to each other at 25. Theupper ends of the legs 23 are pivotally connected at 26 to the verticalflanges of the side rails I1 and are provided at the lower ends withrollers 21. The remaining pair of crossed legs 24 are pivotally andslidably connected by pivots 28 to the side rails H of the frame sectioni5 by virtue of longitudinal slots 29 formed in the vertical flanges ofthe side rails and are also pivotally connected by the pivots 28 tolinks 30 which extend along the outer sides of the vertical flanges andwhich links, at their opposite ends, are pivotally connected by pivots3| to the vertical flanges of the side rails 19 of the auxiliary framesection IS. The lower ends of the links 24 are provided with rollers 32which, together with the rollers 2?, support the unit for trundling toand from the housed position in the space l4 under the seat structure.Under this construction and arrangement, it is apparent that swinging ofthe auxiliary frame section I6 from the folded position overlying andparallel to the main section, to the active unfolded position will,through the medium of the links 3!], effect vertical expansion of thecrossed leg structure thereby elevating the spring frame so that theupper surface thereof is disposed in a plane coinciding with the planeof the upper surface of the cushion support l0. It will also be observedthat when the frame section l6 has been fully unfolded, the pivotalpoints 3| of the links 30 passing below the hinges 2!] make for a pastdead center locking action which automatically locks the crossed legstructure against collapsing.

In order to cushion the action of folding the frame and collapsing thecrossed leg supporting structure and to counter-balance to a degree theweight of the frame during the unfolding opits folded position, thelinks 30 are shifted to the left distending the springs 35 and at thesame time causing the vertical collapsing of the crossed leg structureso that the frame is lowered and the unit contracted to a heightcommensurate with the height of the space l4 below the seat structure.

In order to provide means for supporting the outer free end of theauxiliary frame section IS, a legged head member 40 is pivoted at 4! tothe side rails l9 and is adapted for swinging movement from its activeposition in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the frame, to aninactive folded position substantially parallel therewith. The swingingof the head member is automatically effected by means of links 42 eachof which is pivoted at one end as at 43 to the leg portions 44 of thehead member and each of which is slidably and pivotally connected by apivot 45 to the slotted extension terminals 46 of the vertical flangesof the side rails I! of the main frame section IS.

The trundle unit B is connected with the seat structure A for guidedsliding movement to and from its housed position by means of a pair ofcrossed links 50 and 5|, the former having at one end fixed pivotalconnection at 52 with the seat structure A and at the oppostie endslidable and pivotal connection with a cross bar 53 carried by the lowerends of the crossed legs 23, the slidable and pivotal connectionconsisting of a pivotal pin 54 extending through the opposite end of thelink 50 and through a slot 55 in the cross bar. The other link 5| has,at one end, flxed pivotal connection at 56 with the cross bar 53 and atthe opposite end pivotal and sliding connection with the seat structureby means of a pivot pin 51 extending through the link 5! and through aslot 58 in a bracket 59 attached to the seat structure.

The lower terminals of the crossed legs 24- are provided with brackets60 protruding therefrom to which is attached a transverse panel 6iadapted to snugly flt within the open front of the depending framestructure I3 when the trundle unit is housed within the space [4 tothereby conceal the same.

The seat structure is provided with cushion sections C and D and backrest cushion sections E which are normally arranged in superimposedrelation as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings when theseat structure is in normal position for use as a love seat orequivalent article of furniture. When the article. is to be used as abed and the trundle unit is withdrawn and unfolded with its. supportvertically expanded, asv particularly illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings, the upper cushion D and the back rest cushion E are arrangedupon the fabric spring 22 to constitute a mattress and pillows.

What is claimed is:

1. A trundle unit as and for the purpose set forth comprising a foldablebed frame including a pair of hingedly connected sections, a verticallyextensible and collapsible support for one of said sections includingpairs of pivotally connected crossed legs at opposite sides of said bedframe section, one leg. of each pair having fixed pivotal connectionwith and adapted to fold inside of the frame section, the other leg ofeach pair having slidable and pivotal connection with and adapted tofold outside of said section, a link having pivotal connection with eachleg of the latter pair and located between the same and the outer sideof said frame section, andpivotal 75 connections between the oppositeends of said links and the other frame section so located with referenceto the hinged connection between the bed frame sections as toautomatically efiect collapsing of the support coincident with thefolding of the bed frame and the automatic extension of the supportcoincident with the opening of the bed frame, the pivotal points ofconnection of the links being so located with reference to the hingedconnection between the frame sections as to provide a past center lockfor holding the support extended when the bed frame is unfolded, andtension means for counter-balancing the collapsing and extension of thesupport and for cushioning the collapsing thereof.

2. A trundle unit as and for the purpose set forth comprising a foldablebed frame including a pair of hingedly connected sections, a verticallyextensible and collapsible support for one of said sections includingpairs of pivotally connected crossed legs at opposite sides of said bedframe section, one leg of each pair having fixed pivoted .eonnectionwith and adapted to fold inside of the frame section, the other leg ofeach pair having slidable and pivotal connection with and adapted tofold outside of said section, a link having pivotal connection with eachleg of the latter pair and located between the same and the outer sideof said frame section, and pivotal connections between the opposite endsof said links and the other frame section so located with reference tothe hinged connection between the bed frame sections as to automaticallyeffect collapsing of the support coincident with the folding of the bedframe and the automatic extension of the support coincident with theopening of the bed frame, the pivotal points of connection of the linksbeing so located with reference to the hinged connection between theframe sections as to provide a past center lock for holding the supportextended when the bed frame is unfolded.

ANGELO R. PALADINO.

